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Cliff Buchan
News Editor
The two decals on the back of her car, the patriotic license plate and the tree wrapped with yellow ribbons are your first hints. Finding ways to support the troops is important to Julie Thomson.
And for good reason.
Thomson is the mother of two young adults now serving in combat zones.
Her son, Army Sgt. Samuel Sohm, 23, is deployed in Afghanistan. Her daughter, Army Pfc. Katlin Sohm, 20, is serving in northern Iraq.
As Memorial Day approaches, Thomson will be watching from afar as her children serve their country and this nation pauses to remember those who served in the military and those who have passed on.
It’s a time for one mom to be proud but yet anxious as she knows her kids are far from home doing their duty.
Like brother, Like sister
That Katlin has followed in Samuel’s footsteps by joining the military is not surprising to Julie Thomson, a Forest Lake native.
“I wanted the challenge,” Katlin said recently on the final day of a two-week leave from her duties in Iraq. “I saw my brother do it. It sounded interesting.”
Samuel Sohm enlisted in the Army following his graduation from Forest Lake High School in 2004.
“He always liked the Army,” his sister said. “It didn’t surprise me [that he enlisted].”
Katlin, who lived with her father David in Spring Lake Park following the divorce of her parents, graduated high school there in 2006.
After watching her brother’s early days in the Army, she agreed military life might offer a challenge that college would not, although she still plans to attend college one day.
She was 17 when she enlisted under a delayed entry program. By the time she was 18, she had finished high school and completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Following eight months of advanced individual training and specialized job training, she was sent to Germany and then began a 15-month deployment to Iraq late last September. Pfc. Sohm will be in Iraq until late in the year.
She is a signals intelligence analyst with the 1st Armored Division, based in Tikrit. A signals intelligence analyst supervises and performs analysis and reporting of intercepted foreign communications at all echelons and performs collection management. The analysts also produce combat, strategic and tactical intelligence reports in support of subordinate unit operations.
 Duty contrast
Katlin Sohm’s duty is in contrast with her brother’s deployment.
Sgt. Samuel Sohm, right, is now serving with the 503rd Army Airborne in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan.
(Photo Courtesy of the Sohm family)
Sgt. Sohm is with the 503rd Army Airborne that has deployed from Italy to Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. He is a part of a protection detail assigned to an Army chaplain.
Samuel Sohm, who lived with his mother in Forest Lake, was 18 when he enlisted in the Army.
With four years in the military to date, his mother and sister believe he may consider the Army for a career. He has indicated Officer Candidate School might be to his liking at some point, the two said.
Tough grind
Katlin Sohm has come to take long days of work in an unforgiving climate in stride. She has learned to deal with the 12-13 hour shifts, seven days a week and the dramatic weather swings from hot days to cold nights and the occasional sand storms that pound the base.
A strong bond of military friends has helped make the long days fly, she says. So too has the outstanding mess hall, the daily rounds of physical training and guard post duty that keep the body and mind fresh and alert.
In the spare time that is available, when she is not sleeping, she is writing e-mails home to family and friends.
“I missed my family and friends a lot at Christmas,” Pfc. Sohm said.
It is also reassuring, she says, that her mission is helping achieve positive results for the people of Iraq.
“Our biggest thing is helping establish the government,” she said.
“It’s very worth it,” she says of the effort. “We’ve come so far. People live without the fear they had before. The Iraqi people as a whole are happy that we are there.”
Sohm could well follow in her brother’s probable career path in the Army, she says. “I am most likely going to re-enlist.”
She is improving her Arabic speaking ability and would like to continue her efforts in the region during a second term. “My goal is to learn Arabic,” she said.
Mom’s role
Julie Thomson does what she can on the homefront to support her son and daughter. The yellow ribbons, the license plates and the decals on her car proclaim her support.
So does the blue star banner that she proudly displays from her kitchen window with two blue starts, symbolic of a family with loved ones in harm’s way.
There is little time to fret and worry, Thomson says, adding that her jobs keep her busy and occupy her mind.
She is employed at Target and Rainbow Foods in Forest Lake. Sixty hours of time on the job each week is not uncommon between the two stores, she says.
“I’m really proud of them [and the jobs they are doing]. Obviously, I’m concerned for their safety.”
She tries to zone out the daily news from the war zones and keeps busy with her jobs and taking care of her home.
“I work a lot and pray for their safety,” Thomson said.
She can smile, too, when she opens an e-mail to learn of the good things that her kids are doing. While the war has its negative side, it is not all negative, Thomson says.
“It’s nice to hear from them some of the positives [that are happening in Iraq] and not all of the negatives.”
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